In vitro effects of essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis on Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces.

ALBANESE, A.A; ELISSONDO, M.C; DENEGRI M.G.; GENDE, L.; EGUARAS, M

Buenos Aires

Congreso; XXXIX Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Farmacología Experimental; 2007

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica

Human cystic echinoccocosis is a zoonosis caused by the metacestode Echinococcus granulosus. At the present the chemotherapy with aromatic plants is becoming an alternative form of treatment. The aim of the present work was to determine the in vitro protoscolicidal effect of essential oils (EO) of rosmary (Rosmarinus officinalis) against E.g. Protoscoleces (PSC) were incubated with EO in water and propyleneglycol (PG) at concentrations of 10, 5, 1µg/ml. PSC incubated with culture medium and culture medium containing PG were used as controls. Vitality was assessed every 6 days using the methylene blue exclusion technique and samples were taken for electron microscopy. Treatment finished at day 80. Vitality decreased to 9.89 ± 3.5 % after 54 days Vitality results coincide with the tissue damage observed at the ultrastructural level. Morphological changes included contraction of the soma region, formation of blebs on the tegument, rostellar disorganization, loss of hooks and destruction of microtriches. Thus EO of rosmary can hopefully be considered in the future for more evaluations with other EO and synthetics drugs as benzimidazole carbamate derivatives to evaluate the possible anthelmintic synergic mechanisms on PSC.